That morning, everyone on Big Bamboo Peak of the Qingyun Sect was in high spirits. The disciples in particular all wore smiles on their faces. Although some nervousness could not be denied, for the most part it was drowned out by excitement.
Among them, only Eldest Brother Song Daren, Second Brother Wu Dayi, Third Brother Zheng Dali, and Fourth Brother He Dazhi had participated in the last Seven Peaks Tournament of the Qingyun Sect. As for Fifth Brother Lv Daxin and Sixth Brother Du Bishu, they were both disciples Tian Buyi had accepted in recent decades. And of course, the young Tian Ling'er and Zhang Xiaofan had never witnessed this grand event that only happened once every sixty years in the Qingyun Sect.
Tian Ling'er was the happiest at this moment. Taking advantage while Tian Buyi and his wife were making final preparations, she pestered Song Daren—the most experienced of them all—chattering away endlessly: "Eldest Brother, are there really that many fellow disciples attending the Seven Peaks Tournament?"
Song Daren wore a smile; clearly he was in excellent spirits. "Indeed. The Seven Peaks Tournament is the greatest event of our sect. Every branch regards it as a matter of utmost importance. Moreover, the fellow brothers chosen to represent their respective branches are all outstanding individuals. There is no need to even mention how magnificent and thrilling the spectacle is."
At this moment, Fourth Brother He Dazhi, who had been listening nearby, walked over and covertly winked at Tian Ling'er. He smiled and said, "Little Junior Sister, there is something you don't know. Actually, Eldest Brother still has words he hasn't spoken aloud."
Tian Ling'er exclaimed, ignoring Song Daren's surprised expression, and pressed, "What is it, Fourth Brother?"
He Dazhi smiled and said, "At the tournament venue, hundreds of fellow disciples watch from the sidelines. The victor stands on the stage to thunderous applause—that pride is unavoidable. But if some beautiful young junior sister from another branch is captivated by Eldest Brother's bearing and screams with adoration, wouldn't that be one of life's greatest joys?" At this point, he turned toward Song Daren with a perfectly straight face and said, "Eldest Brother, isn't that so?"
Song Daren's face suddenly reddened.
Tian Ling'er saw this and found it quite strange. "Eldest Brother, why did your face suddenly turn red?"
Song Daren shook his head like a rattle-drum, saying repeatedly, "No, no, how could I be red..."
He Dazhi coughed. He noticed that the other brothers had somehow gathered around them. The younger ones like Du Bishu and Zhang Xiaofan didn't quite understand, but Wu Dayi and Zheng Dali both wore knowing smiles. He smiled and said, "Oh, Second Brother and Third Brother are here too. My memory has been poor lately. I seem to recall that in the last tournament, when Eldest Brother won two consecutive matches and advanced to the third round, there was a young, beautiful fellow sister... Hmm, I've forgotten her name..."
Wu Dayi immediately continued, "Ah, I don't quite remember clearly either, but it seems she was a fellow sister from Little Bamboo Peak. Her appearance was exceptionally beautiful, but as for her name..."
Zheng Dali said, full of smiles, "As for her name, we've all forgotten. But we still remember the one who clapped the loudest in the audience that day and exchanged amorous glances with Eldest Brother."
"Whoa!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted. Tian Ling'er took the lead in interrogating him: "Eldest Brother, which fellow sister was so good to you?"
Song Daren was thoroughly embarrassed. He shot He Dazhi a fierce glare and laughed drily, "N-no, there's no such thing. Don't listen to Fourth Brother's nonsense. Little Bamboo Peak's Junior Sister Wen Min only cheered us on a few extra times out of respect for our master."
"Huh?" He Dazhi immediately said, "Eldest Brother, that's strange. Neither Second Brother, Third Brother, nor I knew that person's name. How is it that you immediately blurted it out? But speaking of which, how good Senior Sister Wen Min was to Eldest Brother..."
The crowd roared with laughter. Song Daren knew he had misspoken. He was even more aware that in a battle of words, he was far from being a match for He Dazhi—the shrewdest person in Big Bamboo Peak. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. He immediately gave a snort, relying on his rather thick skin, and laughed drily, "Boring people, heh heh. I'll go see if Master and Master's wife are ready yet."
Tian Ling'er was about to press further, but she saw Song Daren slip away faster than the wind—he vanished in the blink of an eye. She could only grab He Dazhi, her large, watery eyes filled with excitement, and say, "Fourth Brother, quickly tell me, just what does that Senior Sister Wen Min look like?"
He Dazhi smiled and said, "Little Junior Sister, don't you often go back to Little Bamboo Peak with Master's wife to visit Master Shuiyue? How could you have never seen Senior Sister Wen Min? She is Master Shuiyue's prized disciple."
Tian Ling'er shook her head. "When Mother and I go to Little Bamboo Peak, we go directly to see Master Shuiyue. I rarely get to know any fellow sisters. Hurry up and tell me!"
He Dazhi smiled and said, "Don't be anxious. Today we are going to Tongtian Peak, the main branch, for the Seven Peaks Tournament. You will most likely see her then."
Tian Ling'er gave an "Oh," her eyes rolling as if she had suddenly realized something. "No wonder I saw Eldest Brother looking so spirited and energized since early this morning. So he was harboring ulterior motives!"
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood and burst into loud laughter. Tian Ling'er laughed too, and the slight nervousness she had felt about the Seven Peaks Tournament dissolved into nothingness. Her gaze moved around, seeing that everyone was smiling and in good spirits. But when she looked at Zhang Xiaofan, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Though Zhang Xiaofan had a smile on his face, Tian Ling'er had been closest to him all these years, and with one glance she could tell he seemed somewhat distracted.
Taking advantage while everyone was engrossed in laughter and conversation, Tian Ling'er secretly pulled Zhang Xiaofan aside and whispered, "Xiaofan, is something the matter?"
Zhang Xiaofan was startled for a moment. The corner of his mouth moved, and his right hand subconsciously touched his chest. In the end, he still said, "I'm fine, Senior Sister."
Tian Ling'er looked at him and said directly, "What is it? Let me see."
Zhang Xiaofan hesitated, then took out the object from his bosom and showed it to Tian Ling'er. It would have been better if she hadn't looked; once she did, she was even more surprised. "Why are you carrying this blackened fire-stick with you?"
Zhang Xiaofan saw Tian Ling'er's face full of surprise, but even with a hint of vexation in her appearance, she was still so beautiful. He mumbled, "Master has shown grace by letting me go gain some experience. My cultivation is shallow, I don't have any magical treasures, and I don't know how to use them..."
Tian Ling'er suddenly understood, but couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Ah, haha, so that's how it is. Then you're going to bring this, this fire-stick to participate in the Seven Peaks Tournament? In two thousand years of the Qingyun Sect, Sixth Brother with his dice magical treasure was already strange enough. I never expected, never expected that you, you actually, actually brought a fire-stick... Hahaha, I, I'm dying of laughter."
The various disciples of Big Bamboo Peak standing nearby heard Tian Ling'er suddenly laughing so hard and walked over one after another. When they learned the reason, they couldn't help but burst into laughter again. Zhang Xiaofan saw that everyone around him was smiling, happy senior brothers and sisters, yet suddenly a surge of anger rose in his heart.
This anger from deep within his heart passed in the blink of an eye, but it was so intense that it nearly suffocated Zhang Xiaofan.
He lowered his head and gripped tightly that ugly fire-stick. That familiar coldness transmitted into his palm.
"Xiaofan," Tian Ling'er suddenly put away her smile and said seriously, "I'm sorry."
***
Zhang Xiaofan's body trembled, and he raised his head.
Tian Ling'er said, "I had thought of giving you a treasure to help you save face, so you wouldn't be laughed at by other fellow disciples when you went out. But these past days, Mother has been pressing me too hard in my cultivation, and I forgot."
Zhang Xiaofan subconsciously shook his head. "Senior Sister, your cultivation is what matters. You don't need to worry about me anymore."
Tian Ling'er patted his shoulder and smiled. "But it's nothing. Everyone knows your abilities. Just treat this trip as broadening your horizons." She lowered her voice. "If anyone bullies you, you must come tell me. Hmph, I'll immediately stand up for you."
Zhang Xiaofan looked at his senior sister's affectionate gaze and didn't doubt her promise in the slightest. He could even sense the goodwill in everyone's words around him. But, but—what emotion was still surging so violently? What kind of flame was burning fiercely in the depths of his heart, to the point where it almost made him unable to breathe?
Tian Ling'er was still grinning, patting the shoulder of this little junior brother she loved the most, and whispered, "Let me tell you, there are so many fun places on Tongtian Peak. This time, let's sneak off and play together, alright?"
That beautiful face swayed before Zhang Xiaofan's eyes. Suddenly, he didn't dare look directly at her. He lowered his head, feeling both sweetness and vexation in his heart—the worries of youth, as if a hundred emotions were interwoven together. He said softly, "Yes, Senior Sister."
Tian Ling'er broke into a smile. Suddenly she heard He Dazhi say from behind, "Master and Master's wife are here."
Everyone turned to look. From the Hall of Tranquility, Tian Buyi and Su Ru walked out. Tian Buyi wore a sky-blue long robe; his bearing was quite dignified. If not for his slightly short stature and somewhat large belly, he truly would have had the imposing air of a grandmaster that commanded respect. As for Su Ru, she made everyone's eyes brighten. Usually already surpassing others in beauty, today she wore a light green dress, with jade-carved flowers and golden hairpins in her hair. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her skin like congealed white jade, her gaze like water, her red lips carrying a smile—truly a beauty who could topple all living beings.
Song Daren followed behind the couple, his expression serious beyond measure. However, as soon as the junior brothers saw him, strange expressions that were not quite serious, somewhat smiling yet not smiling, floated onto each of their faces. Behind Song Daren, the yellow dog Da Huang and the monkey Xiao Hui also came out. Xiao Hui now seemed to have grown accustomed to sitting on Da Huang's back. When he saw Zhang Xiaofan standing in front, he chirped a few times, jumped down from Da Huang's back, scampered over to Zhang Xiaofan, and in a few leaps scrambled onto his shoulder.
Tian Buyi looked at the disciples, nodded, and said, "Let's go." With that, he waved his right hand. Guiding a spell formula from his palm, a flash of red light—his long-renowned immortal sword "Chiling" was summoned. Crimson light stretched for ten thousand feet; truly a supreme treasure of the immortal family. Tian Buyi was about to step forward when suddenly his trouser leg was tugged. He turned to look and saw that Da Huang had bitten onto it. The yellow dog he had raised since it was young shook its head, making continuous "woo woo" sounds as it bit his trouser leg, its tail wagging energetically, its pair of dog eyes staring at Tian Buyi without blinking.
Tian Buyi hesitated for a moment, muttered something indistinctly under his breath, but still swept his sleeve, rolling up Da Huang. He then floated onto the Chiling Sword, greeted Su Ru, and took the lead, piercing through the air and departing.
Su Ru smiled lightly and shook her head. She said to everyone, "You all come too." She paused, then said to Song Daren, "Daren, Xiaofan's cultivation is insufficient. You bring him along."
Song Daren nodded. "Yes."
Su Ru nodded. Without seeing her make any visible posture, a flash of light green passed—seemingly matching her dress—and carried her straight up into the blue sky, chasing after that stream of red light from Tian Buyi.
Among the disciples of Big Bamboo Peak, Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, and Lv Daxin had not yet reached the fourth layer of cultivation and could not drive magical treasures. Song Daren immediately walked toward Zhang Xiaofan, while the others—He Dazhi, Du Bishu, and Tian Ling'er—each took one person and set off on their respective paths. Among them, Tian Ling'er's magical treasure was the "Amber Red Silk." He Dazhi's cultivated treasure was a "Jiangshan Brush," quite fitting his usual book-loving nature. But the funniest was undoubtedly Sixth Brother Du Bishu's dice magical treasure. Once summoned, where white light flashed, three dice spun round and round, enlarging ten times, rotating endlessly in the air with various numbers appearing in turn. If one were to discuss gambling tools under heaven, nothing could surpass this.
Fifth Brother Lv Daxin carefully stepped forward to examine it and said with a bitter face to Du Bishu, "Sixth Brother, this thing of yours won't fall from the sky, will it?"
Du Bishu raised an eyebrow and said with a mischievous grin, "Fifth Brother, why don't we make a bet? If it falls from the sky, you win, and I'll..."
Lv Daxin spat repeatedly. "Then would I dare win that bet?"
Du Bishu was stunned for a moment. "That's true too!"
Song Daren walked up to Zhang Xiaofan and smiled. "Xiaofan, are you ready?"
Zhang Xiaofan was about to nod when suddenly the monkey Xiao Hui on his shoulder screeched. The two were startled. They saw Xiao Hui pointing at the sky, then pointing at himself facing Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment. "You want to go too?"
Xiao Hui immediately broke into a grin. Zhang Xiaofan hesitated, then looked at Song Daren. Song Daren thought for a moment and smiled. "Since Master brought Da Huang anyway, let's bring Xiao Hui too."
Zhang Xiaofan was delighted in his heart and nodded. Xiao Hui was even more overjoyed.
Song Daren turned to the others and said, "Let's go too, or if we're late, Master will scold us again." Everyone responded and departed, each riding their magical treasures. As Tian Ling'er left, she came to Zhang Xiaofan's side and cautioned, "Be careful. Hold onto Senior Brother tightly."
Zhang Xiaofan nodded. "I understand, Senior Sister."
Tian Ling'er smiled at him. Guiding a spell formula, the Amber Red Silk immediately rose with rosy light, piercing through the air and departing. Song Daren then summoned his own magical immortal sword "Shihu." He was the head disciple of the Big Bamboo Peak lineage. Although his junior brothers cultivated different magical treasures, he still cultivated an immortal sword. The "Shihu" immortal sword was entirely yellow in color, four feet long and three fingers wide. Among immortal swords, it was considered relatively large in size. Unfortunately, a magical treasure's power could not be measured by its size.
Song Daren pulled Zhang Xiaofan up. Zhang Xiaofan had previous experience riding Tian Ling'er's Amber Red Silk. When his feet touched down, "Shihu" sank slightly before immediately stabilizing. He was no longer very panicked. Rather, the monkey Xiao Hui seemed to sense something and tightly grabbed onto Zhang Xiaofan's head.
Song Daren smiled slightly and said, "Little Junior Brother, we're off." With that, his right hand pointed a spell formula toward the sky. A low, vibrating sound came from the body of the "Shihu" immortal sword. The sword, originally floating parallel at one foot above the ground, suddenly rose three feet higher. Zhang Xiaofan subconsciously gripped Song Daren tightly.
At this moment, a mountain wind blew. The tip of the "Shihu" sword slowly tilted upward. When it had tilted to about seven-tenths, and Zhang Xiaofan was relying entirely on clinging tightly to Song Daren to avoid falling off, a sharp whistle sounded, and "Shihu" shot straight up toward the sky.
Zhang Xiaofan stood on the immortal sword, hugging Song Daren tightly. Although nervous in his heart, he couldn't bear to close his eyes no matter what. He saw the verdant peaks of Big Bamboo Peak growing farther and farther away from him. Suddenly everything before his eyes turned white—a vast expanse of white. He had actually passed into thick white clouds and could no longer see anything.
Now above, below, before, and behind were boundless clouds and mist. The great wind whistled ceaselessly, stinging his face. Zhang Xiaofan's body trembled slightly—half from nervousness, half from excitement. Galloping between the blue sky and white clouds—what kind of dream was this!
The sea of clouds stretched boundlessly. No one knew how long they had traveled. Just as Zhang Xiaofan's emotions were slowly beginning to settle, as if to astonish him once more, the "Shihu" immortal sword burst out of the sea of clouds amid sharp, piercing whistles.
That boundless blue sky was like an inverted deep sea, so blue it was almost pure, limitless and magnificent. When they burst out of the sea of clouds, the white clouds beneath their feet were like water splashes. Following their momentum, long trails of cloud vapor rose up, seeming to be reluctant to part, like tiny ripples in a great river, floating into mid-air before slowly falling back into the sea of clouds.
The long sky was like freshly washed silk. The "Shihu" immortal sword soared upward until it reached a height of nearly three hundred zhang above the boundless sea of clouds. Only then did Song Daren level the sword body and begin flying straight toward Tongtian Peak.
In the distance, a majestic peak towered proudly—not just into the clouds, but into the very heavens. There, where white clouds drifted ethereally, the faint sound of bells echoed through the vault of heaven. Tongtian Peak truly seemed to lead to the blue sky.
Zhang Xiaofan held his breath, gazing into the distance. Under the boundless blue sky, beside the majestic peak, countless rays of colored light danced and circled. The closer one got to Tongtian Peak, the denser these lights became.
Zhang Xiaofan knew these were all magical treasures being driven by Qingyun Sect disciples. Because the treasures were divided into the five elements, they displayed various different colors, appearing brilliantly colorful and extremely beautiful. Seeing these rays of light falling like colored stones in rain, surging one after another toward that mountain—the spectacle was magnificent beyond measure. And they, together with the "Shihu" immortal sword, quickly merged into this colorful torrent.
***
Accompanied by whistling sounds, Song Daren brought Zhang Xiaofan down on a sword onto a massive plaza. The moment they landed, the monkey Xiao Hui looked around in every direction, then jumped down from Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder, hopping around the plaza, wildly excited. Zhang Xiaofan didn't bother with him. Looking around, he saw white jade railings and waves of immortal qi. In the center of the plaza were nine great bronze cauldrons, arranged in a three-by-three formation in the middle. What was most astonishing was that above this plaza, cloud vapor rose and steamed. When walking, it was as if one were amidst the clouds, giving people the sensation of becoming an immortal.
Zhang Xiaofan found it increasingly familiar to his eyes. He remembered that this was the "Sea of Clouds," one of the so-called "Six Scenes of Qingyun" that he had visited when he first ascended Mount Qingyun. Five years had passed; this place was unchanged, as beautiful and ethereal as ever, except that today it was far more bustling than five years ago.
The plaza was already extremely lively at this moment. The Qingyun Sect disciples who had come to participate in the Seven Peaks Tournament had presumably all temporarily stopped here. Looking from afar, heads bobbed and swayed—likely no fewer than several hundred. Most of the people standing in this plaza wore Qingyun Sect attire, both daoist priests and laity, men and women. Among them, the younger generation was especially numerous, and there were many with vigorous heroic spirits. It was evident that in recent years, the Qingyun Sect had been striving diligently and vigorously cultivating young disciples.
Although several hundred people stood in the plaza, it still appeared quite spacious. Song Daren looked around in all directions when he suddenly heard a crisp voice call out from the distance: "Eldest Brother, we're over here!"
Song Daren and Zhang Xiaofan looked over. It was indeed the group from Big Bamboo Peak. Needless to say, the one calling out was Tian Ling'er. They stood beside a massive bronze cauldron in the middle of the plaza, and Tian Ling'er was waving at them.
Song Daren responded and walked over with Zhang Xiaofan. Along the way, Zhang Xiaofan looked around and saw disciples from the other branches standing in groups of three or five, all looking cheerful and talking about something. Presumably, they were all filled with anticipation for the upcoming tournament.
When they arrived, He Dazhi, who was standing behind Tian Ling'er, was the first to speak: "Eldest Brother, was the journey smooth?"
Song Daren smiled. "It's not my first time here. What could go wrong?"
Tian Ling'er glanced at Zhang Xiaofan and smiled. "Xiaofan, was the scenery along the way nice?"
Zhang Xiaofan recalled the spectacular, soul-stirring scenery from just now high above in the blue sky and said sincerely, "Extremely beautiful."
Tian Ling'er giggled, patting his shoulder. "Work hard yourself in the future. Once you've refined a magical treasure and learned to fly through the air, you can soar into the blue sky every day and see to your heart's content."
Zhang Xiaofan didn't speak, but he smiled and nodded heavily.
Song Daren looked around and said to He Dazhi, "Fourth Junior Brother, where are Master and Master's wife?"
He Dazhi said, "When the few of us followed Master and Master's wife here, the receiving senior brother from the main branch led them up to the Yuqing Temple above. They said the peak masters and elders of the seven branches are meeting to finally discuss some details of the tournament. Master instructed us to wait here."
Song Daren nodded, then beckoned and gathered the junior brothers to his side. Looking around and lowering his voice, he said, "Why do I see so many unfamiliar fellow brothers from the other branches? You've been here a while—any news?"
He Dazhi shook his head. "I have that feeling too. It seems the various branches have accepted quite a few new disciples in recent years."
Second Brother Wu Dayi looked around and said, "There are quite a few newcomers, but I estimate that when they take the stage tomorrow, most will still be the senior brothers with profound cultivation from before. After all, in terms of cultivation experience..."
Song Daren suddenly sighed. "Second Junior Brother, not necessarily. Do you still remember that young disciple Lin Jingyu from Dragon's Head Peak who came to deliver a message two years ago?"
Wu Dayi was startled, then fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances, and no one spoke. Only Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt a complex emotion sweep through his heart—seeming like joy, seeming like envy, and seemingly also carrying a trace of jealousy.
"What sort of thing is he?" someone suddenly said coldly.
Everyone was startled. They saw that the speaker was none other than Tian Ling'er. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, her beautiful eyes wide open, as she said resentfully, "If he doesn't come to participate in this tournament, so be it. But if he dares to come, he had best encounter me. Then I'll settle the score with him once and for all!"
The Big Bamboo Peak crowd looked at each other. Sixth Brother Du Bishu had always been clever and quick-witted. He smiled and said, "Little Junior Sister speaks most sensibly. If it really happens to be such a coincidence, heh heh, fellow brothers, why don't we make a bet on who will win or lose?"
"Go away, go away!" Fifth Brother Lv Daxin, standing beside him, kicked him aside.
Song Daren smiled, about to say something, when he suddenly heard a light cough behind him, followed by a woman's soft voice: "Senior Brother Song, it has been a long time."
Song Daren suddenly felt as if struck by a heavy blow.